United Tribes of Uthqali
The United Tribes of Uthqali, or Uthqali, (c. 700 - c. 1185) was an ancient Asli kingdom situated on the southern Badaran island of Nashwa. The United Tribes of Uthqali were unusual in the history of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over much of Nashwa, and was administered by a priest-king called the aze Uthqali. The aze uthqali managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Uthqari people, and possessed divine authority in religious matters. The kingdom was a safe haven for all those who had been rejected in their communities and also a place where slaves were set free from their bondage. Uthqali expanded through converts gaining neighboring communities' allegiance, not by force. Uthqali's royal founder, Ery, is said to be a 'sky being' that came down to earth and then established civilization. One of the better-known remnants of the Uthqali civilization is its art, as manifested in the Uthqali Ukiwu bronze items. Uthqali's culture had permanently influenced all of Nashwa's culture, especially through religion and taboos. It brought new advanced concepts of the creator, Chineka, and of the universe in general. 'History' The United Tribes of Uthqali are considered to be the foundation of Uthqali culture. Uthqali and Agaleri, where the Uthqali creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umuari clan, who trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure, Eriy. Ery's origins are unclear, though he has been described as a "sky being" sent by Chukwuo (God). He is credited with first giving societal order to the people of Uthqali. 'Foundation' Archaeological evidence suggests that Uthqali hegemony in Nashwa may go back as far as the 6th century, and royal burials have been unearthed dating to at least the 10th century. Ery, the god-like founder of Uthqali, is believed to have settled the region around 700 AD. The first a''ze'' Uthqali (King of Uthqali), Ìfikuánem, follows directly after him. According to Uthqali oral tradition, his reign started in 746 AD. At least one historian puts Ìfikuánem's reign much later, around 860 AD. In the 9th century, the names of 19 aze ''Uthqari were recorded, but the list is not easily converted into chronological terms because of long interregnums between installations. Tradition held that at least seven years would pass upon the death of the ''aze ''Uthqali before a successor could be determined; the interregnum served as a period of divination of signs from the deceased a''ze Uthqali, who would communicate his choice of successor from beyond the grave in the seven or more years ensuing upon his death. Regardless of the actual date, this period marks the beginning of Uthqali kingship as a centralized institution. 'Zenith and Fall' Colonization and expansion of Uthqali was achieved by sending mbùríchi, or converts, to other settlements. Allegiance to the aze Uthqali was obtained not by military force but through ritual oath. Religious authority was vested in the local king, and ties were maintained by traveling mbùríchi. By the 10th century, Uthqali influence extended well beyond the nuclear southern Nashwa region to Uthqali settements on the west coast and communities in northern Kafuristan. There is strong evidence to indicate Uthqali influence well beyond the Naswha region to Mu'tasim in the north. At its height, Uthqali had influence over roughly most of Nashwa and beyond. It reached its furthest extent between 980 and 1120. Uthqali's hegemony over much of Nashwa lasted from the reigns of the fourth aze Uthqali to that of the ninth. After that, patterns of conflict emerged that existed from the tenth to the fourteenth reigns, which probably reflected the monetary importance of the slave trade. Outside-world influence was not going to be halted by native religious doctrine in the face of the slave trade's economic opportunities. Uthqali's hegemony declined after the arrival of Majatran tribes on Nashwa, until it was finally conquered by Majatran Bedouins in 1185.﻿ 'Government' The United Tribes of Uthqali were a religio-polity, a sort of theocratic state, that developed in the central heartland of the Uthqali region (modernday Badara). The Uthqali had a taboo symbolic code with six types. These included human (such as twins), animal, object, temporal, behavioral, speech and place taboos. The rules regarding these taboos were used to educate and govern Uthqali's subjects. This meant that, while certain Uthqari may have lived under different formal administration, all followers of the Uthqari religion had to abide by the rules of the faith and obey its representative on earth, the aze Uthqali. An important symbol among the Uthqali religion was the omu, a tender palm frond, used to sacralize and restrain. It was used as protection for traveling delegations or safeguarding certain objects; a person or object carrying an omu twig was considered protected. The influence of these symbols and institutions extended well beyond Uthqalii, and this unique Uthqali socio-political system proved capable of controlling areas wider than villages or towns. For many centuries, the people within the Uthqali hegemony were committed to peace. This religious pacifism was rooted in a belief that violence was an abomination which polluted the earth. Instead, the aze Uthqali could declare a form of excommunication from the odinani Uthqali against those who violated specific taboos. Members of the Ikange ''could isolate entire communities via this form of ritual siege. '''Aze Uthqali' The a''ze'' Uthqali was the title of the ruler of Uthqali with ritual and mystic (but not military) power. He was a ritual figure rather than a king in the traditional sense. The a''ze Uthqali was chosen after an interregnum period while the electors waited for supernatural powers to manifest in the new a''ze Uthqali. He was installed after a symbolic journey to Agyleri on the Anubar Rivier. There, he would supposedly use magical powers to collect stones from under the water, undergo a symbolic burial and exhumation, then finally be anointed with white clay, a symbol of purity. Upon his death, he was buried seated in a wood-lined chamber. The a''ze'' Uthqali was in all aspects a divine ruler. Ikange Cult While the a''ze'' Uthqali lived relatively secluded from his followers, he employed a group of Jesuit-like officials called ndu Uthqali. These were ritual specialists, easily identifiable by facial scarifications or e'chi, who traveled with ritual staffs of peace in order to purify the earth from human crimes. The ndu Uthqali exercised authority over wide areas of Uthqari and had the power to install the next aze Uthqari. Areas under Uthqari influence, called Odinani Uthqari, were open to Ndu Uthqari traveling within them to perform rituals and ensure bountiful harvest or restore harmony in local affairs. Local men within the odinani Uthqari could represent the a''ze'' Uthqari and share his moral authority by purchasing a series of ranked titles called Ozu and Nzo. Men with these titles were known as mbùríchi and became an extension of the Uthqari's religio-political system. They controlled the means for agriculture and determined guilt or innocence in disputes. Both the Ndu Uthqali priests and mbùríchi nobility belonged to the Ikange, the cult of the right hand. The Ìkange god was one dedicated to achievement and power, both of which were associated with the right hand 'Religion' Earth cults were central to Uthqali. Uthqali oral tradition states that a bounty of yams and cocoyams could be given to the a''ze'' Uthqali, while blessings were given in return. It was believed that Uthqali's influence and bountiful amount of food was a reward for the ruler's blessings. Above all, Uthqali was a holy land for those people who followed its edicts. It served as a place where sins and taboos could be absolved just by entering it. Even people living far from the center of power would send abnormal children to Uthqali for ritual cleansing rather than having them killed, as was sometimes the case for dwarfs or children who cut their top teeth before their lower teeth. The Uthqali people believed that the sun was the dwelling place of Anyuma (Light) and Agbala (Fertility). Agbala was the collective spirit of all holy beings (human and nonhuman). Agbala was the perfect agent of Chukwo or Chineka (the Creator God) and chose its human and nonhuman agents only by their merit; it knew no politics. It transcended religion, culture and gender, and worked with the humble and the truthful. They believed Anyuma, The Light, to be the symbol of human perfection that all must seek and Agbala was entrusted to lead man there. 'Tradition' Uthqali tradition was based on the concept of peace, truth and harmony. It spread this ideology through ritualistic traders who maintained Uthqali influence by traveling and spreading Uthqali practices such as the Ikange cult to other communities. These men were identified through the ritual facial scarification's they had undergone. The Uthaqli believed in cleansing and purifying the earth (a supernatural force the Uthqali called Ajna or Ani) of human abominations and crimes. 'Year counting ceremony' 'Uthqali Scarification' 'Downfall'﻿ ﻿ ﻿ Category:Badara Category:History of Badara